High Costs For Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office Racial Profiling Monitor

By Al Macias
Published: Tuesday, December 9, 2014 - 6:14pm

The costs continue to climb for the monitor appointed by a federal court to oversee the Maricopa County Sheriff’s office. The department is under court order to end racial profiling practices.

The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors on Wednesday is set to approve an additional $900,000 to be paid to the monitor appointed by the federal court. The monitor is to ensure Sheriff Joe Arpaio and his department are making the changes ordered by federal judge Murray Snow.

This comes after findings last year that showed deputies racially profiled Latino drivers and violated their constitutional rights.

Judge Snow added additional duties to the court monitor this year. As a result the original $1.7 million contract is being increased to more than $2.6 million.

The county is also paying for additional training, body cameras on deputies and the attorneys for the county residents who sued the sheriff.